That Summer
by KalliGolde
Summary: Summer; that was his name, and that was their history.


**So, I've wanted to write a fanfic like this for a while now, and just didn't know how to start it, but it finally happened. I might continue it, but I'm not sure yet. Hope the characters aren't too OOC. **

**Fairy tail belongs to Hiro Mashima, not me. **

* * *

It was their sixteenth summer when they first met.

The sky was bright blue, not a cloud in sight, and the sun was washing over the world in the way that suns do. Birds were calling to one another, chirping about their most recent adventures with the Old Crazy Bird Lady (_Dude, dude, you totally missed it! There were PEANUTS today!)_ at the park.

Dogs were barking at stray blue cats _(Aye!)_.

And children were running along the canal yelling to one another _(No, aim for his head, AIM FOR HIS HEAD!),_ dodging and weaving between the legs of angry adults _(Darn you kids! That's the second time this week you've knocked out my dentures!) _balancing heavy brown grocery bags. But even the grouchiest people couldn't stay angry with the children for too long. The day was just too perfect.

However, annoying_ teenagers_ dodging and weaving through the crowd was nowhere near acceptable.

There were two of them to be exact. The blue cat wasn't quite human, much less a teenager. They were currently trying to destroy downtown Magnolia, one laughing maniacally and the other stark naked.

The people frowned, sighed, and went on with their daily lives. Best to not be around when that bakery went up in flames. Others, namely the teenage girls who had never something so uncivil, stayed and ogled the fight that was bound to happen. At least, that's what they told themselves. It was certainly not so that they could stare at that _handsome_ naked man. Nope. Psh, why would they_ ever_ do that?

The bakery owner, the one whose family affectionately called him "Porter", was beginning to sweat. Natsu Dragneel, the clothed _mongrel_, and Gray Fullbuster, the stark naked _weirdo_, were getting just a _smidgen_ too close to his shop. The last time they came close to his shop, it was burnt to the ground. Heaven help him if he was unable to bake a single strawberry cake in time for next Tuesday.

Wiping at his sweat covered brow, the portly Porter scrambled his way into the back room, just in time to see his newest employee picking up her purse to walk out the back door.

The young blonde, completely unaware of the impending doom of her favorite coffee machine (I mean seriously, the thing could have your coffee done in 30 seconds, and it the way it whirred while working was just beautiful) was caught off guard when her boss, frantic and in need of some sort of heart attack inducing treat (they always calmed him down, and it would be the best way to die) flapped his arms in the direction of the front door of the shop.

Without words, Lucy Heartfilia, the newest employee, handed Porter a slice of cheesecake. Damn, if those things couldn't calm you down, then nothing would. Immediately sweaty hands grabbed the thing and disappeared.

"I live in a weird world." Lucy shook her head as she watched him run off and walked out front. Her hair, blonde as aforementioned, was tied in two ponytails with blue ribbon. Her black skirt was short, shorter than most women would dare, and stylish. Her dark brown boots stopped just under her knees and were both soft and cool to wear in the summer. Her belt matched her boots, and her pink button-up blouse looked both professional and acceptable for everyday wear.

Lucy paused at the scene unfolding in front of her. There stood two young men, one pale and naked with dark hair and a cool disposition (she refused to look any closer than that). The other was now shirtless with a crazy mop of pink hair on his head. There was a mischievous gleam in his eyes, his fists held up in front of his very toned and very tan body.

Lucy cautiously opened the door to the pastry shop. There were no civilians in sight. Two pairs of dark eyes looked up at her, but only one got eye contact back.

And that summer, two teenagers, one who aggravated old people with dentures, and another who knew the power of cheesecake, became best friends.

* * *

It was their seventeenth summer that they spent entirely together.

_Porter's Pastries_, as it turns out, was never destroyed, and had continued to thrive in business since the previous summer. Lucy no longer worked there, but for a restaurant/café/hotel that her best friend Natsu and all the rest of her friends also worked at.

The school year was done, meaning that her senior year was coming, and coming quickly. It was only the second week of July, but Lucy had work that needed to be done by the beginning of September, dammit.

So, of course, instead of taking the day to peacefully work, she spent it with Natsu. Actually, he had decided that he would spend the day with her, just like all the other summer days that had already passed.

He had jumped through her window and landed on her bed, ignoring Lucy's shrieks of "USE THE DOOR!" and had walked into the kitchen to make himself a sandwich.

When he came back into the bedroom, not even caring in the slightest that he had just walked all over Lucy's important school documents, he was not holding a sandwich. It was more like two pieces of bread with the entire edible contents of the kitchen in between.

Lucy ignored the 'sandwich' and made a mental list of acceptable places to hide food in her home.

Natsu plopped onto her bed and inhaled the thing. When he was finished, he sucked on his fingers, not wanting to leave anything behind. Lucy just stared at her book, her eye twitching. Mustard was not allowed on her bed sheets.

"Luce, where should we go today?"

"Nowhere. I'm staying here and doing homework."

"No you're not."

_"EXCUSE ME?" _Natsu gave her a boyish grin, you know, the one that just made Lucy's heart melt every time she saw it. She blinked and shook her head, blushing. Natsu leaned over, his scarf tickling Lucy's thigh and poked her in the cheek.

"Are you sick, weirdo?" There was genuine concern laced in his words, and Lucy couldn't help but blush even more. This caused Natsu to lean even closer to her.

"Your face is red!"

"I-I'm fine! Now go away, I'm trying to read!" Lucy stuttered and shoved her best friend away from her. Natsu just laughed and called her a weirdo.

Lucy ducked her head into her book (seriously, it was more like a textbook), and hid herself from the boy's view. She forced herself to read, pointedly ignoring Natsu's shuffling.

"Shouldn't you be doing homework as well?" She asked, trying to calm herself down. If only he would just giver her space. Didn't he know what he was doing to her?

"Nah. I got the rest of the summer. And who cares if I turn it in late or not?" Lucy peered at him over the top of her tome. His back was leaning against her window, legs crossed and elbows on his knees. He was watching her closely.

"Well, turning things in on time would help your academic reputation. And we'll be seniors this fall. We'll have to start applying for college, and grades and good habits are things they look at. Don't you want to go to college?" Lucy teased him.

Natsu abruptly turned his head away from Lucy and looked at the other side of the room. He rubbed the back of his neck, a telltale sign that he was nervous about something. Lucy closed her book and put a hand on her best friend's shoulder, worried. What was he so concerned about?

"Natsu? Are you alright?" He turned back towards her and took the hand on his shoulder into his own hands. He fiddled with the ring there, the one he gave her for her birthday not last month trying to ignore the electric sparks touching her hand gave him. He nodded his head slowly.

"Yeah, Luce, I'm okay. Hey!" He suddenly jumped to his feet, the huge boyish smile back on his face. "Let's go to the beach! We haven't been there yet this summer, and it's a weekday, so there won't be too many people. C'mon! Pack your things and let's go! I'll meet you at the train station in half an hour. See ya!" Natsu jumped to the windowsill and gave Lucy a huge grin. The girl watched him, still concerned. But . . . he would tell her when he was ready, right? Slowly, a smile spread across her face and she grinned at Natsu.

"Alright. I'll be there." She waved as he jumped onto the ground and ran in the direction of his house.

"Oh Natsu. If only you knew what you do to me."

On the street, out of sight from Lucy's apartment, Natsu stopped and looked at the sky.

"If only she knew." He muttered and then shook his head. Best not to think about Lucy right now. There were more pressing matters. Like trying to knock that guy's dentures out without letting him see who it was.

And that summer, two best friends fell in love.

* * *

It was their eighteenth summer that everything went downhill.

The news that broke their hearts was said on the beach, the place where they had first told each other that they were in love. It was the place of the first kiss as well, and then the first date.

All in all, it was a place of firsts for the couple of one year exactly.

And then suddenly it was a place of lasts.

Lucy sat on the sand listening to the rain hit the ground and the ocean around them. She wasn't sure if it was fitting that it was raining or not; this was their one year anniversary, so the sky shouldn't be crying. It should be sunny and beautifully, nor mourning. But, with the news she had just heard, she thought it would actually be more fitting if the sky was sobbing, screaming, _despaired . . ._

"I joined the army."

She couldn't look at him. She couldn't. If she did she would break down. Completely loose it.

He was an idiot. He had been planning this, hadn't he? Last summer, when she'd asked him about college . . . that was why he had seemed so upset. He wasn't even planning on going. He _knew_.

And he had never told her. Not even hinted. Sure, she knew he was fantastic at martial arts, he'd gotten into fistfights in schools, and his brain had always been geared towards fighting . . .

"Luce." He was crying. She could hear it in his voice. "Please, say something."

She wanted to scream at him. She wanted to tell him how stupid he was, that he couldn't leave her like this, that they were _in love_.

But all that came out was a strangled "Why . . ?" Still, she refused to look at him.

"Because I-"

"No, Natsu." Lucy whipped her head back around, blonde strands flying out around her. Her clothes stuck to her skin, and Lucy thanked god that she had worn a black sweatshirt today. He still thought she looked beautiful, even through the heart-wrenching _agony_ that was clear on her face. "Why didn't you tell me? Why did you wait until now to tell me? Why didn't you give me any hint that this was what you wanted to do? Did you tell any of our other friends? What were you _thinking_?"

Tears streamed down her face, molding with the rain that fell all around the two. Natsu looked away. He didn't deserve Lucy. She's done nothing wrong, and yet here he was, breaking her heart.

He opened his mouth and then closed it.

"Natsu, look at me and tell me why." He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to stop the tears. He'd never cried in front of her before, so why start now? He sniffled, hating how vulnerable he sounded. A light touch on his shoulder jarred him, forcing his eyes up towards the woman he loved. She was inches away from him, sobbing and shaking. Natsu wanted to think that she was shaking from the cold rain, but he knew better.

"I was afraid. I didn't want to tell you. I didn't want to tell anyone. But it's what I want to do Lucy, it's what I've wanted since I was a kid. I was going to tell you last summer when you asked me about college, but . . . I couldn't do it."

Lucy leaned away from her boyfriend and covered her mouth with her hand. Natsu clenched his hands and ground his teeth._ It's all my fault. _

"When are you leaving?" Lucy questioned and looked up at him. Her eyes were bloodshot and hurt, no longer that warm chocolaty color that he loved so much. Natsu swallowed. He'd gotten the letter last week.

"Two weeks." Lucy stared at him, digesting the words. A terrific sob escaped her lips and she began to convulse. "Luce, please." Natsu whimpered and grabbed his girlfriend, holding her tight to his chest.

"I love you, I love you, I love you . . ." He chanted, trying to get her to calm down.

"You b-better come back to m-me." Lucy choked out, grabbing Natsu's jacket and wanting to never let go. He sighed, the warm air hitting her ear.

"I promise."

And that summer, two lovers were separated.

* * *

It was their twentieth summer when the letter came.

_Well,_ Lucy thought, _it's at least my twentieth summer_. And it would be the second one without him.

The letter was shuffled into a stack of envelopes, handed to her by the mailman, given with a smile and a salute before he turned and walked to the next house.

It was the anniversary of her fifth year since having met Natsu. They hadn't broken up when he left, but they could hardly call the relationship a working one. Letters back and forth were rare, as it took several months for mail to be shipped and delivered. And then there was work, Natsu's in particular.

Lucy quickly peered through the stack as she walked into the kitchen.

"Water bill, credit card bill, electricity bill, and . . ." she stopped when she saw it. It was clearly government sealed, and very important. The address was to her.

Lucy dropped the rest of the mail and stared at this one letter.

"No." She whispered. "No, he can't be dead." Tears began to well as she grabbed for a knife in the kitchen and slit the back of the envelope. Hands shaking she pulled the single piece of paper from the envelope. It was slightly yellow and there were rips on the sides of it.

Lucy paused. Would the army really send a letter to her like this? Suddenly suspicious, but still fearful for what was written, she unfolded the letter agonizingly slowly. There, printed in the middle of the paper, were two simple words.

**_Turn around._**

She dropped the letter and froze.

"I'm being stalked." Lucy mumbled, scared of what she would see if she turned around. She gripped the knife in her hand once more, turning her knuckles white.

"Ahem. Are you going to turn around or not?" Lucy straightened up. That was a man's voice. It was amused and deep, but somehow came off as boyish. How did he get into her home?

Lucy slowly peered over her shoulder, the knife in her hand ready to stab if this guy was dangerous.

The first thing she saw was a mango. It was peeled perfectly, and it was that ripe one that she had been planning on eating with her dinner tonight. The peels were on the counter.

"Well, that's just rude." Lucy slapped her hand over her mouth and turned so she was fully facing her assailant, who leaned against her counter. There was a hat, an army cap to be specific, placed on his head. A white shirt with a slight v-neck covered his torso, and two dog tags on a chain rested on his chest. Jean covered legs and combat boots completed the look. His mouth was open, about to bite into the mango, but froze when she spoke.

His eyes, his deep, expressive, onyx eyes peered into chocolaty ones. Lucy's mouth fell open.

No way. No freaking way was this happening.

"N-Natsu?" The man grinned. It was no longer as childish as it used to be, but more grown up.

"You've changed, Luce. Although you're still a weirdo." His voice was quiet, sad and yet hopeful. Lucy clutched the knife and then dropped it. It clattered loudly to the floor.

"Natsu." She said again, firmer this time. Natsu's grin faltered, worried that she wouldn't be happy to see him.

"Hi Luce." He said shyly. Lucy brought her hand to mouth.

"You're here."

"Yeah. I promised I'd come back, didn't I?" She looked once at the letter on the floor and then at her boyfriend.

"I love you." She muttered and then tackled him. The mango went flying through the air and landed in the sink, but neither seemed to care very much. That would be of later concern.

Natsu moaned and grabbed the girl he had missed so much. There was no space left between the two and they kissed roughly for the first time in two years.

"I missed you so much." Natsu confessed in between kisses. Lucy smiled as his lips dragged along her jaw and neck.

"I missed you to, you idiot." Both couldn't help but smile at the affectionate term, and continued to hold each other and laugh and cry.

Hours later while lying on Lucy's couch, Natsu sat up and pulled his girlfriend with him.

"There's one thing that I have to ask you, Luce." Natsu murmured as he grabbed her hands in his own.

"What is it?" Natsu took one hand and massaged the back of her neck, then pressed his lips onto hers, refusing to let go until neither could breath. Lucy felt Natsu slip the ring her gave her for her birthday four years ago off of her finger. He placed the ring in her left palm and looked down at her.

"What are you doing?"

"Lucy Heartfilia, will you marry me?" Lucy's eyes went huge and her mouth fell open. There was no mushy confession of his love for her; they both knew how deeply they cared for one another. She tried to fish for words, but the shock had her tongue-tied.

She settled for nodding her head and wrapping Natsu into a hug. He grinned and curled one arm around her waist while the other slipped the ring onto her left ring finger.

"Yes."

And that summer, a letter, the most unlikeliest of things, reunited two lovers forever.


End file.
